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March 10, 1964 B. D. TIFFANY 3,124,173

AUTOMATIC FRACTION COLLECTOR Filed Oct 14, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 23 1 2421, b-i 27 I 42 l8 I"! llo a H .O a I d 3 I m INVENTOR.

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llLLLllll nunuwnrl ATTOP/VEV March 10, 1964 B. D. TIFFANY 3,124,173

AUTOMATIC FRACTION COLLECTOR Filed om 14, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. BUPP/S D T/FFANV jmz 6. (MM

A TTOPNEI March 10, 1964 B. D. TIFFANY 3,124,173

AUTOMATIC FRACTION COLLECTOR Filed Oct. 14, 1960 3 SheetsSheet 3INVENTOR.

SUPP/S D. T/FFANV BY ATTOP/VEV United States Patent 3,124,173 AUTQMA'HQFMCTKUN CULLEETGR Burris I). 'lifiany, Kalamazoo, Mich, assignor to TheUpjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed 0st.14, rec-a, Ser. No. 62,747 2% Qlaims. (Cl. BEL-251) This inventionrelates to a distributing device for connecting a source of fluentmaterial successively to a plurality of receptacles for filling same andit relates particularly to a device wherein the weight of the fluentmaterial in a collecting chamber is utilized to effect relative movementbetween a discharge nozzle and the receptacles being filled.

The herein described invention arose in connection with a need whichdeveloped in laboratory work involving fractionations such aschromatographic and fractional distillation processes. Accordingly, theinvention will be described in connection with its use in suchapplications. However, it will be recognized that the apparatusdescribed is capable of other uses also and accordingly the hereinafterpresented description will be understood as illustrative only and notlimiting.

In various kinds of laboratory work, such as in the pharmaceuticalindustry, many fractionation processes are carried out in which theeffluent material is collected in a series of receptacles successivelypresented to the discharge end of the fractionation apparatus. Since thefractionation operation itself can often be carried out for a longperiod of time without the presence of attending personnel, it will beand has long been recognized that the only need for attending personnelin many fractionation operations is to remove filled receptacles andplace empty ones at the discharge end of fractionation apparatus. Thisrequires the attention, and often the exclusive time, of laboratorypersonnel who could be used more efliciently elsewhere if an automaticdevice could be provided for effecting the removal and replacement ofsuch receptacles at the appropriate time. Such machines as are known forthis purpose are too expensive, complex, and inflexible for generallaboratory use.

Accordingly, the principal objects of the invention are:

(1) To provide a machine for successively connecting a source of fluentmaterial to a plurality ofreceptacles, which machine is simple tooperate, flexible in adjustment and which can be placed in and taken outof operating condition quickly and easily, the same, accordingly, beingwell adapted to laboratory usage.

(2) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, which will measure accuratelythe amount of the fluent material placed in each container.

(3) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, which will utilize the weight ofmaterial accumulated in a collecting or measuring chamber to eifect achange of connection of the discharge outlet thereof from one containerto the next.

(4) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, wherein the weight of thecollecting chamber and material therein provides the motive force foreffecting the change of connection above mentioned.

(5) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, which is of extremely simpleconstruction and which will, accordingly, be inexpensive to build andinexpensive to maintain in good operating condition.

(6) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, which will not permit fluentmaterial to flow to said containers during a change in said connectionin order that the spillage between said containers will be held to aminimum.

(7) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, having a collecting chamberarranged on a turntable and including means for rotating said turntablewhen it moves down- 3,.l2l,l73 Patented Mar. 1%, I964 wardly in responseto the weight of a fluent material supplied thereto and wherein suchdownward movement is utilized for effecting relative movement betweenthe discharge outlet of said chamber and the filling stations.

(8) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, wherein the several receptaclesbeing filled have no necessary direct connection with the turntable andmay accordingly be placed on and removed from the filling stationsfreely and without affecting, or being affected by, the operation of theturntable or apparatus connected thereto.

(9) To provide a machine, as aforesaid, which will be particularlyadaptable for use with liquids including, but not limited to, aqueousliquids.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading thefollowing disclosure and inspection of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a left side elevational view of apparatus embodying theinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a right side elevational View of the apparatus shown inFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the apparatus as shown in FIGURE1.

FIGURE 4 is a top view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragment of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1 inthe region of the turntable and showing in solid lines one position ofthe pawl and turntable and showing in broken lines another positionthereof.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragment of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 3 inthe region of the turntable and showing details of the pawl mechanismshown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragment of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 2 inthe region of the turntable and showing details of the pawl mechanismshown in FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 8 is a view corresponding to a fragment of FIGURE 1 and showing amodification.

FIGURE 9 is a side view of a further modification.

FIGURE 10 is a partially broken away, end view of the modification shownin FIGURE 9.

General Description In general, the distributing apparatus of theinvention comprises a table having a collecting chamber mounted thereon,said table being supported for reciprocation in a vertical direction.Means are provided for holding the table in its upper position for solong as the collecting chamber is being filled with a fluent material.When the fluent material in the collecting chamber reaches apredetermined level the table is permitted to descend under the weightof such material.

Means are provided for utilizing the motion of the table as it descendsand eflecting a relative indexing movement between the discharge of thecollecting chamber and a plurality of successively arranged receptacles.

Detailed Description In the following description, the followingterminology will be used for convenience but it will be recognized asbeing used for convenience only and not as limiting. For example, theterms upwar and downward will denote directions with respect to thenormal operating position of the apparatus and will also denotedirections in the figures of the drawings in connection with which suchterminology is used. The terms rightward and leftward will similarlyrefer to the drawings. The terms inward and outward will denotedirections toward and away from the geometric center of the apparatus.Further, all terminology herein mentioned includes also v3 derivativesof the terms specifically mentioned as well as words of similar import.

Turning now to the apparatus in more detail and with specific referenceto the drawings, there is provided a frame structure 1 having an upright2 mounted as desired upon a base 3. A turntable 4- is supported on ashaft 6 which is carried in suitable bearings 7 and 8, which bearingsare in turn carried by a substantially F-shaped member it) having airns9 and 11 extending sidewardly from an upright 12. A pair ofsubstantially horizontal links 13 and 14 pivotally connect and supportthe F-shaped member it to the upright 2. The link 13 is pivotallyconnected at 16 to the F-shaped member and is pivotally connected at 17to the upright 2. The link 14 is pivotally connected at 2/1 to theF-shaped member 10 and is ivotally connected at 22 to the upright 2.

On the side of the device shown in FIGURE 2, there is provided a furtherlink 34 corresponding in general to the link 13 shown in FTGURE 1 andpivotally connected to the F-shaped member 119 and to the support 2 byand at the pivot points 36 and 37. Said link 34 is connected to the link1-3 by a cross member 38 (FIGURES 3 and 4-). An adjustable weight 13,for balancing purposes, is preferably arranged substantially halfwaybetween the links 13 and 34 and is mounted as shown upon the crossmember 38.

Thus, the F-shaped member 1%), the upright 2 and the links 13, 34 and 1dconnecting same form a pantographic linkage whereby movement of theF-shaped member in a generally vertical direction will move theturntable 4 vertically but its axis 6 will be maintained in asubstantially vertical orientation.

The lower side of the turntable 4 is provided with a plurality ofrecesses 23, said recesses being of substantially equal circumferentialwidth and being substantially equally spaced around the periphery ofsaid turntable.

A pawl 24 (FIGURE 1) is pivoted at 26 to the upright 2 and has acounterweight 2! ariixed thereto, said counterweight here being madeintegral with said pawl. The pawl 2 is arranged so that its tip engagessaid recesses 23 in succession during operation of the apparatus.

A further pawl Ill is provided on the other side of the machine (FIGURE2) and this is pivoted at 32 to the upper end of the F-shaped member 1%and it is provided with a counterweight 33, said counterweight herebeing made integral with said pawl.

An abutment 4i extends horizontally from the upright 2 toward theF-shapcd member l-tl and is located above the arm 11. An adjustabl stop,such as the thumb screw 42, extends upwardly through the end of the armll and is positioned to bear against the under side of the abutment 4]..Thus, upward movement of the turntable d is limited by engagement of theupper end of the screw 42 with the under side of the abutment 4i.Downward movement of the turntable is limited by engagement of the underside thereof with the upper end of the upright 2 or by the limit device4d hereinafter mentioned it and where same is used.

The limit device 44, if used, may be adjustably clamped at 46 to theback of the upright 22. It has a point 47 extending upwardly andarranged to enter the openings 23 successively as said turntable rotatesstepwise and reciprocates vertically with respect to the upright 2.

A receptacle 4i; constituting a collecting chamber is supported in anyconvenient manner upon the upper side of the turntable 4 and is arrangedto rotate therewith. Said container 48 is provided with means forautomatically draining liquid from said receptacle 48 when the amountgathered therein reaches a predetermined level. Convenient means forthis pur ose comprise the automatic siphon 49.

The automatic siphon 49, preferably vertically adjustable, is here shownas being of the type used in Soxhlet extractors and since the structureand operation of such a siphon is well known, detailed descriptionthereof is believed unnecessary and will be omitted. However, it shouldbe noted that the siphoning action will begin when the level of theliquid in receptacle caches the height of the central portion of theU-shaped tube 59, in whatever adjusted position it occupies in a giveninstance, and the contents of the receptacle will then be siphonedthrough discharge pipe 54.

A plurality of receptacles, of which one is shown at 5i, are providedfor receiving the fiuent material from the discharge pipe 54. Otherreceptacles will be placed at the filling stations, two or" which areindicated at 52 and 53, which are arranged around the base 3 in a circleconcentric with the axis of the shaft 6.

Operation It is necessary to determine the level at which the collectingreceptacle 48 will commence emptying. The automatic siphon 49 isselected or adjusted so that the central portion of the U-shaped tube56) will be at such a vertical height that flow of said liquid willautomatically start when the liquid has reached said level. The weight1-5 should be so adjusted that the turntable 4 will commence to movedownwardly at some point before the liquid in the receptacle 4-3 reachesthe level of the upper end of said automatic siphon 4-9. The screw 42 isadjusted so that the pawl 24 will fit comfortably within successive onesof the recesses 23 when the turntable is in its uppermost position.

With the above-mentioned adjustments made, the apparatus is placed belowa suitable supply S of fluent material, here a liquid from anyconvenient source, such as a chromatographic or distilling column, andsuch material is permitted to fall into said collecting receptacle Thedischarge pipe 54 of the automatic Siphon is at this time disposed sothat it will discharge into the receptacle 51. When the liquid reachesthe predetermined level in the collecting receptacle 43, said levelbeing relatively high to provide enough weight to carry out he actionbut yet below the upper end of the U-shaped tube 5i) of the siphon 49,the weight of liquid within said receptacle will move said turntable 4downwardly against the action of the weight 18. In so doing the pawl 24,which is at this moment within one of the recesses of said turntable,will cause said turntable to index through a predetermined arc ofrotation. This is illustrated in FTGURE 5 where the broken linerepresentation shows the turntable 4 in its upward position with thepawl 24 engaged in the recess 23a. The solid line representation showsthe turntable after it has moved into its downward position and has beenindexed by the action of said pawl. This will rotate the receptacle i8and thereby rotate the discharge conduit 54 to a position over the nextfilling station, here indicated by the broken circle 52 (FIGURE 4). Inthis position the receptacle 48 will continue to fill until the level ofliquid therein rises high enough to start the automatic siphoning actionwhereupon the contents of said receptacle will be emptied into thecontainer placed on the station 52. When the weight of liquid within thereceptacle 48 diminishes to such a point that it can no longer overpowerthe force of the counterweight 13, said turntable will again return toits upward position, but this will not effect any rotation of theturntable and the liquid will continue to discharge into the containerlocated on the station 52 until the liquid within the receptacle fallsbelow the entrance of the siphon, whereupon the flow of liquid willstop. With the siphon thus becoming inoperative, continued discharge ofliquid into the collecting chamber 48 will again start to fill same andthe cycle will repeat.

During the operation just described, the limit device 44 will engageappropriate ones of the recesses 23 for stopping the rotation of theturntable at a precisely determinable point and prevent overrunning bysaid turntable of the filling station to which it is intended to turn ina given cycle. The turntable in its upper position is, of course,

high enough to clear the tip 47 of the limit device 44 and it willremain clear thereof for a sufficient period of time to enable it torotate through the desired arc of rotation before it descendssuficiently that said tip 4-7 becomes engaged. It will obviously, inview of the foregoing, require a certain amount of careful adjustment tomake sure that said tip 47 enters the desired one of the recesses 23 atthe proper point in the combined rotating and descending movement ofsaid turntable.

The pawl 31 acts to prevent the turntable from rotating in a reversedirection as a result of the drag applied by the tip 23 of pawl 24 whenthe turntable rises and said tip moves back from one recess to another,such as from the recess 23a to the recess 23!).

While the source S has been shown herein as a single conduit, it will berecognized that it may comprise multiple conduits all discharging eitherdirectly or indirectly into a collecting chamber 48.

Modifications In FIGURE 8 there is shown a resilient device 61 which maybe utilized in place of the weight 18 to constantly urge the F-shapedmember 14), and thereby the turntable 4, upwardly.

In FIGURE 9 there is shown a further modification wherein the collectingchamber is non-rotatable but moves only vertically and the motionthereof is applied to effect rotation of a table carrying thereceptacles. In this embodiment a base 71 supports a frame structure 72which in turn rotatably supports, by suitable bearings, a vertical shaft73 upon which is mounted a table 74. Said table is provided with aplurality of circumferentially spaced notches as for reasons appearinghereinafter. An upright 77 is also mounted on the base 71 and a pair ofparallel upper links 78, "73a are pivotally mounted by a rod 75intermediate their ends on the upper end of upright 77. A lower link 79is pivotally mounted at one end thereof on said upright and extendsparallel with said links 78 and 78a. A second upright Ell is pivotallysupported on a rod 8% which extends between links 78 and 73a. A platform82 is mounted on said second upright. The link 79 is also pivotallyconnected to upright S2 at the lower end thereof. The first and seconduprights 77 and 81 together with the links 78, 78a and 79 form apantograph similar to that formed in the structure of FIGURE 1 by theparts 2, 1.2, 13 and 14. Means, such as a counterweight 53 which isconnected to links 78 and 73a are applied to said pantograph toconstantly urge the second upright 81 in an upward direction. Anadjustable stop 85 (FIGURE 9) is provided to engage the counterweight 83and thereby limit upward movement of the platform 32.

A collecting chamber 84, corresponding to the chamber 43 in FIGURE 1, issupported on the platform 82 and said chamber is similarly provided witha siphon 86, said siphon being adjustable if desired. The collectingchamber 34 has a discharge pipe 87 which is positioned over a locationoccupied by the receptacles R which are arranged around thecircumference of the platform 74, as said platform 74 rotates.

A driving pawl 88 is pivotally affixed to the second upright 81 and itslower end is adapted to enter the notches 76 successively. A holdingpawl 89 is pivotally afiixed to the first upright 77 and its lower endalso is adapted to enter said notches 76. The pointed lower end 99 ofthe upright $1 is adapted to enter the notches 7s to stop rotation ofthe table 74-.

The operation of this embodiment is generally similar to that describedin connection with FIGURE 1. Commencing with the platform 82 in anupward position, fluent material is added to the chamber 84 until itsweight overcomes the force urging said platform upwardly, whereupon saidplatform descends and acts through the pawl 83 to rotate the tablethrough one increment of rotation. When the end S ll of upright 81enters a notch 76 rotation of the table is stopped. As soon thereafteras the fluent material reaches the top of the siphon 86 it flows outthrough said siphon into an appropriate one of the receptacles R placedbelow the discharge pipe 87. When said chamber is sufiiciently emptiedso that the weight 83 again overcomes the weight of the material in saidchamber, said chamber returns to its upward position but the pawl 89prevents backward movement of the table 74. The chamber now completesits discharge through the siphon. Material from the supply S startsrefilling the chamber 34 and the cycle repeats.

It will be recognized that correlation of the force urging the platformupwardly with the weight of material in the chamber 84 as same fillswill cause the platform 82 to move downwardly and return upwardly atselectable times during the filling and discharging steps as desiredaccording to the requirements of the operation being carried out. Forexample, using a relatively light counterweight 33 will cause theplatform 82 to move downwardly relatively early in the filling of thechamber and same will remain in such position for most of thedischarging of said chamber and will be moved upwardly only at the endof the discharging step. On the other hand, using a relatively heavycounterweight 83 will cause downward movement of the platform 82 andconsequent rotation of the table 74 only after the chamber issubstantially filled and the emptying thereof will start almostimmediately thereafter. This will be followed by a return of theplatform 82 to its upward position shortly after the emptying processhas started.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have beendisclosed above for illustrative purposes, it will be understood thatvariations or modifications of such disclosure, which lie within thescope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a collecting and distributing device, the combination comprising:

a base; a table rotatably supported on said base for rotation about avertical axis;

a platform and means supporting said platform for unitary, linear,vertical movement with respect to said base supporting means beingdisposed adjacent to one side of said table;

a ratchet and means mechanically connecting said ratchet to said table;

a pawl operable in response to downward vertical movement of saidplatform for effecting stepwise rotative movement of said ratchet andthereby stepwise rotative movement of said table;

a container mounted on said platform for movement therewith and adischarge for said container operable upon accumulation within saidcontainer of a predetermined amount of fluent material for dischargingthe contents thereof, said discharge discharging successively into aplurality of receptacles held on said table and presented one at a timeto a filling station located under said discharge upon stepwise rotationof said table.

2. A collecting and distributing means for fluent materials, comprisingin combination:

a turntable adapted for supporting a collecting receptacle;

a base;

means including shaft and bearing means for supporting said turntablefor rotation around a vertical axis and means including linkage meansconnected to said base and said bearing means and supporting said earingmeans for vertical movement with respect to said base;

means constantly urging said bearing means upwardly in a directionparallel to said axis;

means defining a plurality of recesses arranged peripherally around saidturntable and an indexing device supported on said base for engaging atleast one of said recesses and effecting rotation of said turntablesimultaneously with each downward movement thereof;

whereby a discharge device fixed with respect to said turntable willmove through a predetermined arc of rotation about a vertical axis.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said indexing device is apawl pivotaily supported intermediate its ends on said base, said pawlhaving a recess engaging tip at one end and a counterweight at the otherend, said tip being receivable into said recesses.

4. The combination defined in claim 2 including a second pawl arrangedfor vertical movement with said turntable and engaging same to hold sameagainst reverse movement thereof.

5. The combination defined in claim 2 including a locating pawl mountedfixedly with respect to said base for entering into one of said recessesto thereby stop rotation of said turntable at a selectable point.

6. In a collecting and distributing device, the combination comprising:

a turntable and a shaft extending vertically downwardly from saidturntable, said shaft and turntable being arranged for rotation about avertical axis;

an F-shaped member receiving said shaft rotatably through the horizontalarms of said F-shaped memher;

a base and a supporting member extending vertically upwardly from saidbase;

parallel links pivoted to the vertical stem of said F- shaped member andto said supporting member for forming a parallelogram and holding andguiding said shaft for vertical movement in a direction substantiallyparallel to the normal vertical position of the axis of said shaft;

a row of recesses on the underside of said turntable and arrangedadjacent the periphery thereof;

an indexing pawl pivotally mounted on said supporting member and firstconstantly acting means urging the tip of said pawl upwardly toward saidturntable;

second constantly acting means constantly applying force for urging saidF-shaped member upwardly;

whereby said turntable will normally be in its upward position with saidindexing pawl being receivable into one of said recesses and whereby asufficient weight placed on said turntable will force same downwardlyagainst said force and the reaction of said pawl within said recess assaid turntable moves downwardly will efifect a rotation of saidturntable about said axis through a predetermined arc of rotation.

7. The device defined in claim 6 wherein said second constantly actingmeans is a weight supported on an extended portion of one of said links.

8. The device defined in claim 6 wherein said indexing pawl is supportedintermediate its ends and an end opposite that which is received intosaid recesses constitutes a weight for providing said first constantlyacting means.

9. The device defined in claim 6 wherein a further pawl is mounted onsaid F-shaped member and acts with respect to said recesses to preventmovement of said turntable in a reverse direction.

10. The device defined in claim 6 including a means rigidly mounted withrespect to said supporting member and extending upwardly to entre intoone of said recesses for simultaneously terminating both rotative anddownward movement of said turntable.

11. Apparatus for effecting relative horizontal movement between acollector and a plurality of receptacles, comprising:

a collector support adapted for holding a collector and mounting meanslocated substantially under said collector support for supporting andguiding said collector support for movement as a single unit in (J anupward and downward direction straight, vertically oriented path; meansfor constantly urging said collector support upwardly;

means including a ratchet for effecting relative horizontal movementbetween said collector support and said receptacles;

a pivotally mounted pawl extendable into a recess in said ratchet andactuatable in response to downward movement of said collector support tothereby effect indexing of said ratchet whereby fluent material can becollected in the collector until the weight thereof is sufficient toovercome the force urging said collector support upwardly whereupon saidcollector support will move downwardly and will effect indexing of saidratchet.

12. Apparatus for effecting rotation of a collecting receptacle,comprising:

a table on which the collecting receptacle can be supported;

support means supporting said table for rotation about a substantiallyvertical axis;

a frame connected to said support means and supporting same forsubstantially vertical movement whereby said table can move verticallywith said support means;

means for urging said support means upwardly with a predetermined forcewhereby said table is normally held in its uppermost position but ismovable downwardly when a sullicient amount of material is collected insaid collecting receptacle;

co-operating mechanical drive means mounted on said table and on saidframe and responsive to downward movement of said table for effectingrotation of said table.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 in which said mechanical drive meansincludes means defining a plurality of recesses on the table andarranged around the rotational axis thereof;

a pawl mounted on said frame for pivotal movement about a horizontalaxis, said pawl being engageable with said recesses and being pivotablein response to downward movement of said table to thereby effectrotation thereof.

14-. In a collecting and distributing device, the combinationcomprising:

a turntable and a shaft extending vertically downwardly from saidturntable, said shaft and turntable being arranged for rotation about avertical axis;

an element rotatably supporting said shaft, said element having avertical portion;

a base and a supporting member extending vertically upwardly from saidbase;

parallel links pivotally connected to said vertical portion and to saidsupporting member and defining therewith a parallelogram for holding andguiding said shaft for vertical movement in a direction substantiallyparallel with the normal vertical position of the axis of said shaft;

a row of recesses on said turntable and arranged in a circle around saidvertical axis;

an indexing pawl pivotally mounted on said supporting member and firstconstantly acting means urging the tip of said pawl upwardly toward saidrecesses;

second constantly acting means constantly applying force for urging saidelement upwardly;

whereby said turntable will normally be in its upward position with saidindexing pawl entering into one of said recesses and whereby a sumcientweight placed on said turntable will force same downwardly and thereaction of said pawl within said recess as said turntable movesdownwardly will effect a rotation of said turntable about said axisthrough a predetermined arc of rotation.

15. Apparatus for effecting relative horizontal movethrough a mentbetween a collector and a plurality of receptacles, comprising:

a collector support adapted for holding a collector;

mounting means supporting said collector support for unitary, linearmovement upwardly and downwardly, said mounting means including a basehaving an upright extending upwardly therefrom, a pair of verticallyspaced, parallel links pivotally connected to said upright, a downwardlyextending member connected to said collector support and extendingsubstantially parallel with said upright, said memher being pivotallyconnected to said links whereby said upright, said member and said linksform a pantographic linkage for supporting said collector support forupward and downward movement;

means for constantly urging said collector support upwardly;

means including a ratchet for effecting relative horizontal movementbetween said collector support and said receptacles;

a pivotally mounted pawl extendable into a recess in said ratchet andpivotable in response to downward movement of said collector support tothereby effect indexing of said ratchet whereby fluent material can becollected in the collector until the weight thereof is sufficient toovercome the force urging said col lector support upwardly whereuponsaid collector support will move downwardly and will effect indexing ofsaid ratchet.

16. Apparatus for effecting rotation of a collecting receptacle,comprising:

a table on which the collecting receptacle can be supported;

support means supporting said table for rotation about a substantiallyvertical axis;

a frame connected to said support means and supporting same forsubstantially vertical movement whereby said table can move verticallywith said support means;

means for urging said support means upwardly with a predetermined forcewhereby said table is normally held in its uppermost position but ismovable downwardly when a suflicient amount of material is collected insaid collecting receptacle;

cooperating mechanical drive means including first means mechanicallyconnected to said table and second means mounted on said frame andresponsive to downward movement of said table for effecting rotation ofsaid table.

17. Apparatus for effecting rotation of .a collecting rec-eotacle,comprising:

a table on which the collecting receptacle can be supported;

a member having a pair of substantially parallel and horizontal arms andalso having a vertical leg;

a shaft extending vertically downwardly from said table and beingrotatably supported within and by said horizontal arms;

a base including an upwardly extending supporting member;

parallel links pivotally connected to and extending between saidvertical leg and said supporting member and forming a parallelogram forholding and guiding said shaft for vertical movement in a directionsubstantially parallel to the normal vertical position of said shaft;

a ratchet mechanically connected to said table;

an indexing pawl pivotally mounted on said base and first constantlyacting means urging the tip of said indexing pawl toward said ratchet;

second constantly acting means constantly applying a force urging saidmember upwardly whereby said table will normally be in its upwardposition and will be moved downwardly when a predetermined weight isplaced on said table and such downward movement will cause said pawl andratchet to effect rotation of said table through a predetermined are.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, including a further pawl pivotallymounted on said member and cooperable with said ratchet for preventingrotation of said table in a reverse direction, and a stop paiwlcooperable with said ratchet for preventing rotation of said table whensaid table is in its downwardmost position.

19. Apparatus for effecting rotation of a collecting receptacle,comprising:

a collector support adapted for holding a collecting receptacle andmounting means supporting said collector support for rotation and forsubstantially linear movement upwardly and downwardly;

means for constantly urging said collector support upwardly;

a ratchet connected to said collector support;

a pivotally mounted pawl extendable into a recess in said ratchet andpivotable in response to downward movement of said collector support tothereby effect indexing of said ratchet and stepwise rotation of saidcollector support; and

stop means engageable with said ratchet for preventing further movementthereof after a predetermined rotational movement thereof has takenplace in response to each downward movement of said collector support.

20. Apparatus for effecting relative horizontal movement bet-ween acollector and a plurality of receptacles, comprising:

a collector support adapted for holding a collector and mounting meanssupporting and guiding said collector support for movement as a singleunit in an upward and downward direction through a straight, verticallyoriented path;

means for constantly urging said collector support upwardly;

means including a ratchet on said collector support for effectingrelative horizontal movement between said collector support and saidreceptacles;

a pivotally mounted pawl on said mounting means extendable into a recessin said ratchet and actuatable in response to downward movement of saidcollector support to efiect indexing of said ratchet;

whereby fluent material can be collected in the collector until theweight thereof is suflicient to overcome the force urging said collectorsupport upwardly whereupon said collector support will move downwardlyand will effect indexing of said ratchet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,146,402 Chambers July 13, 1915 2,251,841 Herold Aug. 5, 1941 2,894,542Alm July 14, 19 9

1. IN A COLLECTING AND DISTRIBUTING DEVICE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING:A BASE; A TABLE ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID BASE FOR ROTATION ABOUT AVERTICAL AXIS; A PLATFORM AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID PLATFORM FORUNITARY, LINEAR, VERTICAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID BASE SUPPORTINGMEANS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT TO ONE SIDE OF SAID TABLE; A RATCHET ANDMEANS MECHANICALLY CONNECTING SAID RATCHET TO SAID TABLE; A PAWLOPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO DOWNWARD VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATFORM FOREFFECTING STEPWISE ROTATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID RATCHET AND THEREBYSTEPWISE ROTATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID TABLE; A CONTAINER MOUNTED ON SAIDPLATFORM FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH AND A DISCHARGE FOR SAID CONTAINEROPERABLE UPON ACCUMULATION WITHIN SAID CONTAINER OF A PREDETERMINEDAMOUNT OF FLUENT MATERIAL FOR DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS THEREOF, SAIDDISCHARGE DISCHARGING SUCCESSIVELY INTO A PLURALITY OF RECEPTACLES HELDON SAID TABLE AND PRESENTED ONE AT A TIME TO A FILLING STATION LOCATEDUNDER SAID DISCHARGE UPON STEPWISE ROTATION OF SAID TABLE.